This invention relates to compositions of matter useful for cleansing a wide range of surfaces and substrates, including hard surfaces such as walls, countertops, motorized vehicles, ovens, stoves, floors, etc. The compositions are also useful in cleaning human skin and in a preferred embodiment, the compositions according to the invention are applied to a surface that is desired to be cleansed by means of a towelette that is nearly saturated with a composition of the invention.
The use of moist towelettes for cleaning surfaces has been known for some time and the prior art is replete with moist towelette products designed for cleaning a wide range of surfaces. Certain towelettes are known in the prior art to be useful for cleaning walls, countertops, motorized vehicles, ovens, stoves, floors, etc., in addition to human skin. One well-known and popular variant of moist towelettes are those which are used on cleaning infants during the changing of diapers. Such towelettes are typically dispensed from a sealed container having a slit or other narrow opening through which the end piece of a continuous roll or interfolded stack of towelette stock that has been pre-moistened with a cleaning composition is disposed, to enable the consumer to tear off or grasp a single towelette for immediate use while simultaneously causing the next towelette in the continuous roll or interfolded stack to be advanced through the opening or slit for ready grasping when another towelette is needed. Many such products and dispensers for same are available in the marketplace, including: xe2x80x9cSwifterxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cCharmin Kid Freshxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cMr. Klean Wipe-Upsxe2x80x9d, available from Procter and Gamble; xe2x80x9cClorox Disinfecting Wipesxe2x80x9d available from The Clorox Company; xe2x80x9cPledge Grab-Itxe2x80x9d available from SC Johnson and Sons; and xe2x80x9cHuggiesxe2x80x9d available from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, to name but a few.
These and other prior art moist towelettes generally suffer from several disadvantages, one being that in many cases alcohols are used as part of the formulations which the towelettes are pre-moistened. The drawback of using alcohols in such formulations is that when a towelette containing an alcohol is contacted with the skin, some of the alcohol remains on the skin of the person contacted. In some cases, a degree of dehydration of the skin results. In other cases, the cooling caused by the evaporation of the alcohol creates an uncomfortable chill sensation, particularly in the case of infants. In yet other cases where such wipes are used around the peribulbar region and other facial areas, alcohol vapors emitted by the towelette can cause temporary eye irritation. In addition, alcohols are undesirable from the standpoint of their flammability. Thus, if the presence of alcohols could be avoided in towelettes designed for human skin contact, such would be desirable. Yet the solvency characteristics of alcohols in general render them as desirable components for use in towelettes. Thus, owing to the balance between the favorable and unfavorable characteristics of moist towelettes containing alcohol-bearing compositions, alcohols are often deemed to be an indispensable component for towelettes used in some applications. However, if a suitable substitute non-alcoholic material were discovered having substantially the equivalent level of solvency characteristics associated with alcohols in such a use, and if such substitute had a relatively low vapor pressure, was benign to human skin, and was non-flammable, then alternate formulations for moist towelette compositions could be provided. The present invention provides such formulations.
The present invention is concerned with towelettes for use in applications in which human skin contact occurs with the towelette. According to the present invention, in the case of towelettes which contain a cleaning composition which includes an alcohol, the present invention is concerned with replacement of all or a substantial portion of the alcohol with an alkylene carbonate. In the case of towelettes which contain a cleaning composition which does not include an alcohol, the cleaning composition benefits further by addition of alkylene carbonate to the formula.
The present invention is concerned with moist towelettes suitable for many uses including among other uses cleaning hard surfaces, and cleansing human skin. The compositions used to soak, impregnate, saturate, or moisten moist towelettes have historically contained a surfactant component, water, various alcohols, fragrances, preservatives, organic acids and other components. Of these components, alcohols are preferably included because of their solvency and cleaning characteristics. However, the use of alcohols is generally undesirable because of their cost, volatility and offensive nature. Further, alcohols cause a cooling effect on skin because of their enthalpy of vaporization, which in the cases where moist towelettes which contain an alcohol component are contacted with the skin of an infant, create a momentary cold shock on the infant.
The liquid compositions used in making moist towelettes according to the present invention are compositions in which all or a portion of the alcohol component of a prior art moist towelette is replaced with an alkylene carbonate. Stated another way, the liquid compositions for making moist towelettes according to the invention comprise an alkylene carbonate, in combination with other components contained in conventional moist towelettes, with the exception of the presence of alcohols, which is minimized or totally eliminated. In those cases of prior art formulations for which moist towelettes which contain no alcohol, the present invention is concerned with adding an alkylene carbonate to the composition(s) with which such towelettes are made wet, to enhance their performance in wiping applications. Thus, liquid compositions used in making moist towelettes according to the present invention comprise an alkylene carbonate. It is preferred that an alkylene carbonate is present in a composition according to the invention in an amount effective to provide a moist towelette made moist using such composition as having solvency characteristics equal to or better than a towelette made moist using pure isopropanol with respect to cleaning a test soil prepared in accordance with testing procedure ASTM D-4488, section A6.4.3 from a substrate of vinyl tile as described below.
The cleaning performance of the liquid compositions of the present invention was determined by comparing the optical reflectance of white vinyl tiles treated with an exemplary test soil before and after cleaning with the solution. The test soil is one which is prepared in accordance with testing procedure ASTM D-4488, section A6.4.3, by adding the following ingredients in the indicated order and then mixing for 30 minutes:
In practice of the testing, the soil composition was applied to vinyl tiles by paintbrush, and the soiled tiles were then heat treated at 60xc2x0 C. for one hour. Three vinyl tiles for each sample were cleaned with
The tiles were then rinsed with water containing 150 ppm hardness. Cleaning efficiency was determined from reflectance readings obtained from a Hunter xe2x80x9cLABSCAN XExe2x80x9d Color Quest Reflectometer which were taken before soiling, after soiling, and after cleaning. Soil removal was calculated as a percentage using the following formula:
SR%=(Rwxe2x88x92Rs)/(R0xe2x88x92Rs)*100
where
Rw=Reflectance of tiles after cleaning;
Rs=Reflectance of tiles before cleaning; and
R0=Reflectance of tiles before soiling.
In addition, other materials may be present in such compositions(s), including glycols and glycol ethers, or other alkylene carbonates.
The alcohols suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention include without limitation: methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol. However, all alcohols recognized by those skilled in the art as providing a benefit to cleaning compositions are suitable as components of liquid compositions from which moist towelettes may be made according to the present invention.
The glycols suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention include without limitation: propylene glycol; dipropylene glycol; polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight between 134 and 2000; butylene glycol; dibutylene glycol; polybutylene glycol having a molecular weight between 162 and 2000; and glycerol. However, all glycols recognized by those skilled in the art as providing a benefit to cleaning compositions are suitable as components of liquid compositions from which moist towelettes may be made according to the present invention.
The glycol ethers suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention include, without limitation: propylene glycol methyl ether; dipropylene glycol methyl ether; propylene glycol butyl ether; dipropylene glycol butyl ether; butylene glycol methyl ether; and butylene glycol butyl ether. However, all glycol ethers recognized by those skilled in the art as providing a benefit to cleaning compositions are suitable as components of liquid compositions from which moist towelettes may be made according to the present invention.
The alkylene carbonates suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention include, without limitation: ethylene carbonate (xe2x80x9cECxe2x80x9d), propylene carbonate (xe2x80x9cPCxe2x80x9d), butylene carbonate(xe2x80x9cBCxe2x80x9d), and glycerine carbonate (xe2x80x9cGCxe2x80x9d).
The surfactants suitable as components of a composition used in making a moist towelette according to the invention includes cationic surfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, anionic surfactants, and non-ionic surfactants. The most preferred surfactants for use in the invention are: alkyl and alkenyl sulfates having between 10 and 18 carbon atoms per molecule; alkyl and alkenyl ethoxylated sulfates having any number of moles of ethylene oxide per molecule between 1 and 9; succinamates; fatty acid esters; isethionic acid; alkylamino sulfonates, alkylbetaines, alkyl amido betaines, quaternary ammonium salts, alkyl phenol alkoxylates, and alcohol alkoxylates.
However, all surfactants recognized by those skilled in the art as capable of providing a benefit to cleaning compositions are suitable as components of liquid compositions from which moist towelettes may be made according to the present invention.